Delhi NCR
Independent advice for domestic connections across Delhi and nearby NCR. Winter haze and flat society roofs change economics; policy headlines change faster. We start from your bill.
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Fast triage: amounts page solar subsidy in Delhi. Run the free home check before chasing a “free panels” headline. Sealix advises; we are not the Delhi Solar Portal and not your DISCOM.
Central residential CFA is commonly ₹30,000 / ₹60,000 / up to ₹78,000 for eligible 1–3 kW+ systems, claimed via pmsuryaghar.gov.in after DISCOM process and commissioning. Delhi’s own portal also points homeowners to the national route for central CFA. Dedicated amounts: solar subsidy in Delhi. Full framing: PM Surya Ghar guide.
Delhi has announced a revised solar policy aiming to provide eligible domestic consumers (often described as average monthly use up to ~400 units) with up to 3 kW rooftop systems at zero upfront cost, with state capital support layered on central CFA, and a large household target into 2027.
Important: a separate consumer application window for that zero-upfront rollout may still be pending. Do not assume that a normal PM Surya Ghar application automatically enrols you in the new aggregated / utility-led free scheme. Watch official notices on solar.delhi.gov.in and IPGCL / GNCTD updates before treating “free 3 kW” as bookable today.
Update (September 2026): the amendment has now been notified. Homes above 400 units get ₹78,000 central + ₹78,000 Delhi for 3 kW (about ₹19,000 left to pay), and the per-unit GBI has ended for new home plants. Full table and route: Delhi 2026 subsidy and the 400-unit rule.
Winter air quality and shade from towers reduce generation versus summer brochure numbers. Size with 3 kW vs 5 kW honesty — extra kW past 3 kW usually gets no extra central CFA. Price: 3 kW India.
Any “Delhi free solar” headline does not automatically apply across NCR borders. State extras: state top-up caution.
This deserves separate attention, because it is where Delhi homeowners are most likely to misunderstand what they are agreeing to. A conventional purchase means you pay for the plant, claim the central subsidy afterwards, and own the asset along with every unit it produces for the next couple of decades.
A zero-upfront or utility-led model usually works differently. A developer funds, installs and owns the system, and recovers its investment out of the generation over a long agreement. You get a reduced bill without writing a large cheque, which is genuinely useful if capital is the obstacle. What you do not get is ownership.
Neither structure is wrong, but they answer different questions, so establish which one is on the table before signing:
If you would rather own the asset outright and the cheque is the only problem, compare the numbers against a loan instead — see rooftop solar loans in India. Ownership plus a loan and ownership-free plus zero upfront are very different long-term positions.
Delhi has a genuinely strong solar summer. It also has several weeks from November into January when output falls sharply, and this is the single biggest reason Delhi savings estimates overshoot.
Two effects stack. Fog and haze diffuse sunlight before it reaches the panels, reducing what the array can convert even at midday. Separately, particulate matter settles on the glass, and because winter air here is damp, that deposit is sticky rather than loose. It does not blow off, and it will not rinse off without help, because there is little winter rain.
The practical implications are straightforward. Insist on an annual generation figure in units and ask directly how the winter months were treated in the calculation — a good month multiplied by twelve is not an estimate. Then plan cleaning as a real routine through the smog season rather than an annual event, and confirm the array can be reached safely to do it. An array nobody can access will not be cleaned, whatever the intention at handover.
Summer brings the opposite problem: heat. Modules lose efficiency as they warm above their rated temperature, and Delhi's May and June push panels well past it. A structure raised enough for air to move underneath runs cooler than one fixed close to the terrace, and an inverter mounted in shade with ventilation will not throttle itself in the afternoon. Both are worth specifying rather than leaving to the cheapest bid.
In much of Delhi, the question is not whether your bill justifies 3 kW but whether the roof can hold it. Typical plot sizes, a stair-head mumty, overhead water tanks, existing terrace use for drying or storage, and setbacks all consume space. On a small plot the genuinely clear, unshaded area may only support 1 to 2 kW regardless of what your consumption would support.
Shading is the second half of this. Because modules are wired in series, a shadow across part of one panel can pull down the output of an entire string, not just the shaded module. In dense colonies with buildings of uneven height, and in areas where taller construction has come up nearby, part of the day is simply lost. This needs assessing on the roof at different times of day, not estimated from a satellite image — and it is worth asking what could be built on the adjacent plot later.
If you are in a multi-owner building, the terrace is common property and a documented resolution is required before work starts. See society NOC for solar and apartment rooftop solar; in flats this is usually the longest item in the timeline.
Take twelve months of bills rather than the latest one, since Delhi's summer peak badly overstates annual consumption and invites an oversized quotation. From those bills note the units consumed, the tariff slab you reach — solar removes your most expensive units first, which is what makes the savings real — and the sanctioned load on the connection.
That last one matters practically. If the PV capacity you apply for exceeds your sanctioned load, load enhancement may be required, bringing charges and processing time that almost never appear in an installer's quotation. Confirm it before committing to a system size. Export is settled under the applicable rules, and an exported unit is generally worth less to you than one consumed as it is generated — see net metering in India.
Delhi subsidy amounts · Delhi DISCOMs · Chandigarh · Jaipur · Apartment solar · About Sealix.
Zero upfront cost is not the same as free, and it usually is not the same as owning the plant. In utility-led or aggregated models a developer funds and owns the system and recovers the cost from the generation, so the household gets reduced bills rather than an asset. That can still be a good deal, but you should read who owns the plant, how long the agreement runs, and what happens if you sell the house before signing anything.
Substantially, for several weeks. Through November to January, haze and fog scatter sunlight before it reaches the array, and particulates settle on the glass as a sticky film that damp air makes harder to remove than dry dust. The system keeps producing but well below clear-day output, so any annual savings figure must account for that period.
Often yes, but usable area is usually the limiting factor rather than your bill. Water tanks, the stair-head mumty, existing terrace use and setbacks all take space, and on small plots the clear area may only support 1 to 2 kW. Measure the genuinely unshaded clear area before assuming a 3 kW system fits.
No. Delhi policies apply to connections within the NCT of Delhi. Noida and Ghaziabad connections fall under Uttar Pradesh distribution and Gurugram under Haryana, each with its own rules, portal route and net-metering process. A Delhi headline does not cross the NCR border, whatever a salesperson says.
